Mahayana Buddhism (대승불교)

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Mahayana Buddhism 대승불교

Mahayana Buddhism emerged in the first century CE as a more liberal,
accessible interpretation of Buddhism. As the "Greater Vehicle"
(literally, the "Greater Ox-Cart"), Mahayana is a path available to
people from all walks of life - not just monks and ascetics.

Mahayana Buddhism is the predominant form of Buddhism in northern Asia and
the Far East, including Korea, China, Japan, Tibet and Mongolia, and is thus
sometimes known as Northern Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhists accept the Pali Canon
as sacred scripture, but also many other writings, or sutras, which were
written later.

While Theravada emphasizes individual enlightenment, Mahayana emphasizes
the enlightenment of all beings. While the Theravada ideal is to become an
arhat, the Mahayana ideal is to become a bodhisattva who strives to liberate
all beings from the cycle of birth and death. Bodhisattvas enable all beings to
be enlightened together, not only out of a sense of compassion, but because we
cannot separate ourselves from each other. Mahayana Buddhists also teach that enlightenment
can be attained in a single lifetime, and this can be accomplished even by a
layperson. -
Adapted from the website (http://buddhism.about.com)

​- excerpt from Buddhist English (Elementary 1) published in 2014 by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism​​​